Protecting finger for shuttle housings



June 19, 1934. T, ENGSTROM PROTECTING FINGER FOR SHUTTLE HOUSINGS Filed May 3, 1953 INVENTOR t m ATTORNEY Patented June 19, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE-TY:

PROTECTING FINGER FOR SHUTTLE HOUSINGS I 1;:

Thursten Engstrom, Paterson, N. J.

Application May 3, 1933, Serial No. 669,185

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in shuttle housings of looms in general, and particularly to what is known as protecting finger, in cooperation with the shuttle speed brake means of such housings,

The employment of abutment devices or fingers is well known in the art, however, all such devices possess the great disadvantage of wearing rapidly, due to which wear they very often break during the operation of the loom, requiring im mediate stoppage of the machine, which entails costly delay. Aside of these disadvantages, the breaking of the fingers often cause serious injury to the looms.

The present invention is designed not only to overcome the aforesaid shortcomings of existing devices, but is intended to simplify and cheapen the production and enhance the usefulness of the so called protecting fingers. This will be clearer understood from the fact that at the present time the left-hand and right-hand shuttle housings require the employment of left-hand and righthand protecting fingers, whereas, the present invention obviates the production of left-hand and right-hand fingers, by substituting a universal device of this kind, suitable for employment at either side of the loom; in short, my device is exchangeable at will.

The prime object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a simple, relatively inexpensive, but highly efficient device of this kind, which may be employed at either side of the loom in connec-- tion with a shuttle housing and its shuttle speed braking means, and which possesses the great ad- 351 vantage of friction reducing means, which are in themselves exchangeable and adjustable for proper cooperation with the shuttle housing.

The foregoing and still further objects will become more fully apparent from the following del scription and the accompanying drawing, forming part of my disclosure, which drawing, however, is by no means intended to limit me to the actual construction shown, and in which Figure 1 illustrates a semi-diagrammatical top 45. View of a shuttle housing.

Figure 2 is a partial front elevaton thereof.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of my improved device, and

Figure 4 is a side elevation thereof, partially "50.? in section.

Referring now to the figures, numeral 10 denotes the shuttle housing, provided with a removable frame member 11, which latter possesses lugs 12 and 13, between which are operatively mounted shuttle speed braking means 14, which are normally induced to press inwards by a spring 15, secured at 16 to frame member 11. Shuttle speed braking means 14 are hinged at 17'- and are 'prevented from leaving frame 11 by a pin 18.

From Figure 2 it will be observed that-two spring-propelled members 14 are employed and that their extreme right-hand ends 14 are both engaged by one of the rollers 19 of my improved protecting finger, indicated at 20 in Figures 1 and 2. This protecting finger is adjustably and removably mounted upon a rod 21, shown in Figure 1.

The illustrated construction of a shuttle housing is intended for accommodating either one or two shuttles. The operation of the spring-propelled shuttle speed braking members 14 is about as follows: When a shuttle, marked inbroken lines, leaves its housing, spring 15 presses member 14 inwards, keeping it under tension. "The moment the shuttle returns, it presses member 14 outwards until stopped by pin- 18. During the outwards movement of member 14, end 14' come into abutting contact with roller 19 of my finger. Due to its ability of rooving, the wearing-01f of l I the roller surface is gradual and uniform; i so Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the left-handpor tion of a loom, and'a similar arrangement is intended for the right-hand portion of a loom; but in reversed position. 'My protecting finger'2 0 is also mounted in reversed position, that is, turned 180 degrees from that illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, or in the position shown in Figure 4.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, my improved universal finger consists of a bracket por tion 22, at the lower end of which is provided an attaching hub 23, from which extends downwardly a boss 24, in which is mounted a set screw 25, adapted to bear against rod 21, forming a part of the loom. At the upper end of bracket portion 22, there is provided a roller housing 26, in which are provided oil holes 27 for lubricating the interior, and thereby rollers 19, which latter are mounted in the housing. These rollers are preferably rotatable upon a short shaft, indicated at 28, which is off-set once at one end, marked 29, while at both ends are provided threaded off-sets 30, engaged by nuts 31. These nuts are secured within outer recesses 32, so as to prevent their projecting beyond the outer surfaces of the roller housing. Adjacent to outer recesses 32 are provided longitudinal, vertical recesses 33, in which the ends of shaft 28 may be adjusted vertically to any desired position.

The arrangement of two rollers in the roller I housing 26 and their symmetrical disposition rel- 1'10 v the latter) is quite remote.

ative to the vertical centre plane of the bracket portion (see Figure 3) facilitates the employment of my device at either left or right-hand ends of the 100m. The provision of rollers reduces the wear and tear, to which heretofore used devices of similar nature were unguardedly subjected. Consequently, a break-down of a loom equipped with my, finger arrangement (due to a failure of Due to the fact that my rollers are exchangeable, they may be readily replaced without requiring the scrapping of the entire finger bracket, as is the case in present mits their proper setting relative to ends 14 of braking members 14, as is particularly required when double shuttle housings are employed. (See Figure:2.)

For oiling holes 27 there may be substituted a permanently attached lubricating arrangement,

- not shown, although such is not absolutely necessary. Nevertheless; the lubrication of the roller housing is an essential requirement of this invention, as it reduces friction between the roller shafts and the rollers, and between the rollers and members 14 of the shuttle housing.

The construction shown in the drawing is adapted for use in connection with the greatest proportion of existing looms. It is obvious, however, that changes might become necessary in adapting-the principle of my invention to looms of other constructions, and I thereforeewish it to be-understo'od that I shall have the right to make such changes and improvements as maybe required, due to the'application of my device to different types of shuttle housings.

Having thus described myinvention, I wish to cover the same as follows.-

I claim:

15 The combination with a shuttle housing, ineluding-spring-induced, operative shuttle speed braking,.means, of an exchangeablymounted elementada-pted to cooperate with the latter, said element comprising an attachable bracket'portion' and a -rollerhousing portion, the latter symmetrically-arranged relative to said bracket portion, a pair of symmetrically disposed rollers mounted in said roller housing and adapted to cooperate with said braking means, said roller housing provided with guide-ways for adjusting theiposition of said rollers relativeto said braking means.

2. The combination with a shuttle housing, including spring-induced, operative shuttle speed braking means, of an exchangeably mounted element adapted to cooperate with the latter, said element comprising an attachable bracket portion and a roller housing portion, the latter symmetrically arranged relative to said bracket portion, a pair of symmetrically disposed rollers mounted in said roller housing and adapted to cooperate with said braking means, said roller housing provided with guide-ways for adjusting the position of said rollers relative to said braking means, each of said rollers provided with a shaft having threaded off-set extensions in engagement with, and adapted to be secured against movement within said guide-ways, and means provided with said roller housing for facilitating lubrication of the rollers.

3. In a device of the class described, a bracket member having means for attaching it, a roller housing forming part of the bracket member and disposed symmetrically relative to the centre plane thereof, a pair of symmetrically arranged rollers'mounted in said housing, and elongated roller guide means provided with and adapted to facilitate the adjustment of the rollers within said housing.

4. In a device'of the class described, a bracket member having at one end an attaching hub provided with means for fastening it, the body of the bracket member being off-set relative to said hub, a roller housing formed at the off-set other end of the bracket member and provided with symmetrically disposed roller guide means adapted to accommodate and to facilitate the adjustment of the axis of rollers, a pair of rollers mounted in and provided with means for fixing their position relative to said guide means.

5. In a device of the class described, a bracket member comprising an off-set body portion, an attaching hub at one end thereof provided with means for fastening it in place, a roller housing at'the other end of the body portion, two pairs of symmetrically disposed roller guide means arranged in said housing, a pair of rollers mounted in said housing and provided with shafts adapted to register with said guide means, each roller shaft having provisions for facilitating the setting; of the rollers, by means of their shafts,-at desired positions within the housing.

6. In a device of the class described, as set forth in claim 3 and means provided with said roller housing for facilitating lubrication of the rollers.

THURSTEN ENGSTROM. 

